How Do You Write a Two-Week Notice?

Quitting your job may sound easy. You may think that is is just as simple as walking out the doors of the office and moving forward. However, if you want to maintain great relationships with your employer, there are a few tips for quitting your job gracefully. The customary thing with almost all companies is the fact that they ask their employees to hand in a two weeks notice if they have plans of quitting their job. Some companies ask their employees to render more time whereas others allow resignations to be effective immediately. Today we will be talking about two weeks notice and how you can come up with one that will have all the necessary information your employer needs to know about your plans of quitting. Just keep reading this article to find out more.

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What Is a Two Weeks Notice?

Before we start digging into the guidelines of how to write a two weeks notice, we should know a little bit more about what is a two weeks notice. A two weeks notice is basically a document that officially states that you are planning to leave the company within two weeks’ time.

Within these two weeks, the employer might start to look for a replacement and ask you to make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that once you are no longer connected with the company, the transition period will go as smooth as possible.

However, you should be financially and emotionally ready as there are some employers who ask their employees to leave sooner than expected.

Resigning Gracefully

When it comes to resigning from your job, it is not just plainly writing your two weeks notice letter and giving it to your employer. There are certain things that you need to keep in check to ensure that your exit will not encounter any problem. Here are some of them:

Announce appropriately and make sure you inform the right people first. You want to ensure that your employer will get the news directly from you and not from the gossip that is doing its rounds in your workplace. Avoid telling any of your workmates, even the closest ones, your plans of departing from the company. Always tell your employer first before anyone else in the office. Also, when it comes to telling your immediate supervisor about your plans, make sure that you schedule a meeting in advance. Do not ambush your supervisor or your employer with unexpected news.

Make sure you deliver all that your employer needs to know in a clear manner. Clarify your proposed date of departure and set out proper expectations. If you need to finish some tasks, outline these in your notice or letter. You may also want to offer some help. Just remember that your employer may or may not accept what you are offering but the gesture will definitely be appreciated.

Carefully think about what to do when a counteroffer occurs. Counteroffers are inevitable. This is most especially true if you are a well-performing employee. A ton of times, employers do not want to risk losing any of their employees. Their solution would be to give you a counteroffer such as increasing your salary. Think if the counteroffer will solve or help out with the reasons why you are quitting the job. Whatever your decision may be, just make sure that you will not regret it and that you will not end up being resentful about it.

Organize everything first. From your desk to your office files, make sure you tidy up! Do not leave your workstation like a hurricane has gone through it! You do not want to be known as the ex-office mate who was unkempt and untidy. You just really want to make sure that things will be easy for you, your employer, and your soon-to-be successor.

Show appreciation and be confident. Leave your soon-to-be former office with your head held high! Thank your employer that they gave you the opportunity to be a part of the company. Thank your office mates and teammates as well for being team players.

Saying What Needs to Be Said

Brief and concise. One of the things you should always remember about writing any type of business letter is ensuring that it only consumes one page. Your employer and supervisors will typically be busy doing their daily tasks in the office, so you have to be straightforward with your two weeks resignation letter. In the first paragraph, directly state what the purpose of your letter is.

Be specific with your proposed date. Aside from telling your employer that you only want to be associated with the company for two more weeks, make sure that you state your exact proposed date too.

There is no need for you to tell them your reasons. If your reason/s for leaving the company are more on the negative side, you might as well be vague about why you are leaving. Your departure is already bad enough for the company. There is no need for you to rub it in their faces that the reason why you are leaving is because of them. If you have been asked to include your reasons, make sure that you maintain a calm demeanor and avoid ranting in your letter.

Set your letter to be a formal one yet still friendly in tone. Make use of simple and professional language but make sure you avoid sounding like a robot. Write as if you are talking to your boss in person. Make sure you end on a positive note.

Offer help and leave contact details. Let your employer know that you are willing to help with the transition period. Make sure to leave your primary contact details as well to make it easy for them to get in touch with you.

Two Weeks Notice Format

For sure, a two-week notice email will reach your employer as soon as you hit that SEND button. However, traditional printed and hard copy letters give a more formal tone to your two weeks notice.

Make sure that the date can be found in the upper left corner of the page.

There is no need for you to include a return address or inside address as this notice will only circulate within the company’s premises.

You can make use of a subject line instead of making use of a salutation.

Keep the body of your letter single-spaced. Make sure to keep the font style professional and to keep the size of the your font between 10pt–12pt.

Make sure you type your name two to three spaces after your closing. Affix your signature on top of your typed name afterward.

Quitting your job is not the end of your career. They say that once you close one door, another one opens. In other words, your departure from your job opens up a whole new world of possibilities. You never know, maybe you will find your true calling after resigning. As long as you do not give up and you continue to strive for the better, opportunities will keep knocking on your doors. Keep your head up and start anew! Cheers!